El Paso County, Texas · 1867 voter registration
El Paso County, Texas: freedmen, slavery and the 1867 voter registration
Slavery in El Paso County
In 1860 the census counted 15 enslaved people in El Paso County, under 1% of everyone living there. Seven years later 4 freedmen registered to vote there, under 1% of the county's voters. Most were born in Missouri and Virginia, and 2 reported reaching Texas before 1865.
- 15
- Enslaved in 1860
- under 1%
- Of the county in 1860
- 703
- Registered voters
- 4
- Freedmen
- under 1%
- Freedmen
- Missouri
- Largest birthplace
- 18 years
- Median time in Texas
- 18
- Register pages
Help finish El Paso County. 2 freedmen registered here in 1867 and their records are still waiting to be added.
Become a reviewerWhere El Paso County's freedmen were born
When they arrived in Texas
Decade each registrant reported arriving in Texas, as recorded in El Paso County.
| Decade | Registrants |
|---|---|
| 1840s | 1 |
| 1850s | 1 |
Surnames of freedmen in El Paso County
El Paso County genealogy: search the register by name
The first 2 names in the El Paso County register, alphabetically. Each opens a search for that name.
| Name | Birthplace | Arrived | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horey, Montgomery | Missouri | 1854 | 15 |
| Woods, John | Virginia | 1847 | 19 |
Sources and county history
Figures come from the 1867 to 1870 Texas voter registration held by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. The 1860 population figures come from Population of the United States in 1860, printed by the Census Office in 1864. El Paso County's entries fill 18 pages of the handwritten register. Race was recorded for part of the statewide register, so the freedmen count is the number identified.
El Paso County was formed out of Bexar County by 1850.
Questions about the El Paso County records
How do I find African American ancestors in El Paso County, Texas?
Search the El Paso County records by surname, then open the entry to read the original handwritten register page. Each entry gives the man's name, his birthplace and the year he reached Texas. Spellings vary, so try the sound of a name as well as its spelling, and names appear in the order men came to register, so a family can sit pages apart.
How many freedmen registered to vote in El Paso County in 1867?
4 freedmen registered in El Paso County between 1867 and 1870, under 1% of the county's 703 registered voters.
Where were El Paso County's freedmen born?
Missouri (1) and Virginia (1) were the birthplaces reported most often.
Was slavery widespread in El Paso County, Texas?
In 1860 the census counted 15 enslaved people in El Paso County, under 1% of everyone living there. In 1867, under 1% of El Paso County's registered voters were freedmen, 4 of 703. 2 of them reported reaching Texas before 1865.
Keep looking
Counties that share a boundary history with El Paso County: Bexar County.
For African American genealogy beyond El Paso County, browse the register by birthplace, search it by name or follow the migration map.
All countiesBrowse by birthplaceSee the migration mapSearch El Paso County